


How it is

by livinginadaydream (orphan_account)



Category: Disney RPF, Jonas Brothers, RPF - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe, Fluff, Multi, Past, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-04-21
Updated: 2009-04-21
Packaged: 2017-10-12 18:14:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,214
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/127673
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/livinginadaydream
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The girl who just moved in is incredible, or so his brothers say, but Kevin wants to find out on his own.</p>
            </blockquote>





	How it is

They had just finished watching a show the other day. It was a movie that maybe Joe and Nick really shouldn't have been watching, but Kevin was ten. He understood a lot more than they did. So, when it was his turn to pick, they ended up watching "older kid stuff" as opposed to the _Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles_ , for example. They liked the movie well enough. It had people talking and moving interestingly, anyway.

It was kind of cool, because in the movie, some people had moved in next door. Then when a moving van pulled in across the street from their house that morning, all three boys got pretty excited. Poor Kevin had school work though, so he wasn't allowed to go meet the new family, yet. With a small pout, he set to work at the kitchen table while mom set a few rules the boys already knew, and zipped them into their jackets. As they walked out the door, she watched them out the window, just to be sure.

The five-year-old and the eight-year-old took each others' hands, stepped to the edge of the sidewalk, looking both ways, and then crossed when they were sure no cars were coming. Or motorcycles, Joe had added. As they got closer, the view widened. A girl in pigtails, jeans, and a periwinkle sweatshirt was playing invisible hopscotch in the driveway. They'd never seen her before, so they guessed she was the one moving in. Both walked over to her, smiling. She only stopped hopping once they got close enough she might accidentally run into them.

"Hey," she said simply. Her cheeks were rosy, pretty on her darker skin, from standing out in the autumn air too long. Brown strands of hair had fallen around her face, and were sticking up from her pigtails, from all the movement. She might have also been asleep in the car before they had arrived, resting her head against the seat, causing hairs to loosen from her hair ties.

Nick, still holding Joe's hand, was the first to speak back. "Hey. I'm Nick." Joe was about to say his name too, when Nick continued. Lifting their hands pointedly as he spoke, he said, "This is my boyfriend Joe." It took a second before his older brother realized what had just been said.

See, Nick was kind of a quick learner. Well, he was, completely, but he looked at things differently. The girl in the movie had said something similar when she and her -obviously- boyfriend introduced themselves to their new neighbors. A smile began spreading across Joe's face as he gathered his thoughts. Then, he laughed a little, making the previously hesitant girl laugh as well. Joe didn't really understand boyfriend/girlfriend stuff either. He knew this was funny, but at the same time, he didn't mind being Nick's boyfriend as long as Nick was his boyfriend right back. And yeah, he was pretty sure that was how it was.

 

  
So the first day the family arrived in Wycoff, Kevin was stuck inside for the rest of the day.. Dad was busy helping at the church that night, and mom didn't want to introduce herself without him. Kevin didn't mind going without either of them, however. "But mom," he said in his diplomatic voice, calm and understanding, "I'm ten. I've been allowed to cross the street by myself for years." One and a half, actually, but who was counting? Seriously though, his parents were too worried when it came to that stuff. Denise gave him an appraising look before shaking her head.

"Tomorrow," she said emphatically. "Not tonight, Kevin. And not another word about it." Turning her back to him, she continued scraping that night's dinner into a bowl. Moms were so predictable. Couldn't ever just throw the left overs out. Always had to keep it. Always had to finish it all off. Always had to say no to everything that was important to their sons. Whatever. Usually Kevin didn't pout. He wasn't the sort. Sure, he'd get disappointed, quiet for a while, but he never huffed and stomped off. Almost never. Except now.

Even as his lower lip puffed out, he reprimanded himself for being such a baby. He couldn't help it though! Joe and Nick had just gone on about how cool "Danielle" was. They made her sound like some sort of superhero. The boys had long forgotten her quiet demeanor to begin with. From the moment she went along with what Nick had said, she was their new best friend. By the time her dad had called her into the house, hands on his hips, with a half-smile, Nick had already asked if she'd like to be his sister.

Sure enough, she would. Joe had grown particularly fond of her when she gave her answer. However, he wasn't sure adding another person to the family was the best thing to do. Especially since she was older. They already had Kevin to deal with. Though, Joe secretly admired his older brother, and Nick secretly knew that. So when Joe voiced his protests on the short walk home, Nick just elbowed him to be quiet, or he wouldn't be his boyfriend anymore, which shut Joe right up. He even stayed quiet, only giving a scowl, when Nick ran into the house, ripping off his jacket, and explaining to their mother how he had a new sister.

Shoving his hands into his pockets he had gone up to Kevin with his tongue sticking out and started bragging about getting to meet her. At first, Kevin had simply rolled his eyes, but then Joe started talking about all the stuff this girl liked. A lot of it matched what he was interested in. Joe briefly mentioned how Danielle liked to read, but didn't say anymore. Kevin didn't have to ask to know that Joe and Nick had both brushed passed that topic, because that would have been boring to them. Kevin though? He would have liked it.

Sometimes it really felt like Joe was a lot younger, to the point Kevin had a hard time remembering how he was only two years ago when he was Joe's age. Shaking his head, he had tried to ignore the ramblings, but had maybe made it through one math problem out of the whole speech. Kevin's expressions had gone from pleasantly surprised, to mildly jealous. Finally he had shoved Joe back in the kitchen table chair he was sitting in, forcing Joe's shoulder to hit the wooden bar behind him. Joe, over dramatic, had yelled at that, but his mother knew which kinds of sounds to ignore, and which to not, so when Joe didn't receive any attention, he shoved Kevin's shoulder before walking to the other room where Nick was now playing with their toy dinosaurs.

Thanks to his brothers, he felt like his night had been ruined. He went to his room, flopped down on the bed, and stared at the ceiling for a few minutes before he realized that was even more boring, and went to the music room and began strumming on his dads old guitar. They weren't really allowed to touch anything in there unless mom or dad said so, but dad, in so many words, had let Kevin know that as long as Joe and Nick didn't catch him, he could play the guitar all he wanted. Usually, he attempted to actually make something that sounded like music, but he was a frustrated ten-year-old and his fingers brushed roughly over the strings, causing sharp notes to be played, commingled with chaos. It did not sound pretty, but even as Kevin's forehead scrunched in concentration, he started feeling better.

Every time he heard footsteps, or a door near by, he would stop playing until the sound was gone. Finally, he got too tired to do it anymore, and went straight to bed, mumbling an, "I love you," along the way. It was a whole hour and a half before Joe went to bed. Kevin sort of hated sharing a room, because of course Joe had to jump onto his bed, making the mattress squeak, waking Kevin. "Jerk," he had muttered, but his pillow was the only thing that heard it, as Joe slipped under the covers. At least, Kevin had thought as he drifted back to sleep, they didn't have that stupid bunk bed anymore...

When he woke up that Saturday morning, he pulled his tee down and rolled off the bed, quickly glancing at Joe who was completely tangled within the bed sheets. Yeah, and that kid was his brother... Shaking his head, and rubbing at his eyes, he made his way out the room, closing the door softly behind him. Aw... Sweet, but not really. Never mind that Joe would miss _Power Rangers_ this morning. It was his own fault. He shouldn't have gone to bed so late, Kevin thought, as he spit the toothpaste from his mouth and rinsed before going out to the kitchen to pour some Froot Loops into a bowl. Nick wasn't up either, but Kevin, reluctantly, after finishing his breakfast, went to wake the poor kid up. Kevin **knew** that Nick would wake Joe up, ruining his revenge, but he couldn't let Nick miss the show just because. Sometimes he hated being a good brother.

There was an upside to the other two being distracted by t.v. though. It would give him a solid half hour to get dressed and go over to the neighbor's house - alone, so that he could actually talk to someone. And not watch Nick and Joe, because that would totally be his responsibility if they went with him. Mom and her powers of persuasion... Also known as a glare. After waking Nick up, and explaining _why_ he was being woken up, Kevin left the rest of the family to themselves, and began getting ready hurriedly. His mom wouldn't have an argument with him going. He'd eaten, gotten ready, it was a Saturday, and she had told him, 'tomorrow,' and it was.

Zipping up his jacket, Kevin stepped part way out the door before yelling, "Going to the neighbor's; be back in a bit! Love you!" Of course, he tagged that last bit on to the end as he bolted across the small lawn, looking both ways before running across the street, up the stoup, and knocking at the door, breathing a little bit hard. There were a few noises coming from the other side, and a small smile crossed his face before going away once more when the door didn't immediately open. They weren't going to pretend they weren't home, were they? As the door swung open though, he breathed a sigh of relief out and the woman standing on the other side gave him a concerned look.

"Everything okay?" was the first thing she asked, and Kevin nodded vigorously, forgetting momentarily why he was standing at their door. She gave a small smile and looked back at her husband who was sitting on the couch in the front room with what smelled like a cup of coffee. Kevin tore his eyes away from the man, barely catching the shrug, because it was rude to look into other's houses.

Hearing a door close from their upstairs jolted Kevin a bit. "Oh! Oh yeah, hi!" he said quickly, smiling. "I'm your neighbor. My name's Kevin Jonas." He stuck out his hand for a shake, and the woman took it slowly, but then smiled back at him, nodding her head. Again, his attention was drawn into the home when a girls' voice spoke to her father, asking who it was. Kevin didn't hear the response, because the woman began speaking to him again.

"Nice to meet you, Kevin. I'm Mrs. Deleasa." He made a quick mental note, something he was actually quite good at doing, and nodded, barely resisting the temptation to push her out of the way to catch a glimpse of Super Woman so that he could prove his brothers wrong and not feel so terrible about missing out yesterday. She apparently, caught his line of sight, and let a smirk slide onto her face. "Oh..." she said as if she knew something, but really, she didn't, not yet., "Are you here to see Danielle?" Without thinking, Kevin nodded.

As she moved to get out of the way, and call Danielle to the door, he corrected himself. "Oh. Oh, no. I - came to welcome your _whole_ family. Mom and dad will be coming over sometime today, I think. Dad's a preacher. He works at the church a lot, but I think he's um - home today." So he hadn't mastered talking to strangers yet... He would get there. She nodded, looking across the street, obviously trying to figure out which house he had come from. Kevin turned and pointed his house out. "Over there," he said quietly before turning back. "But I would like to meet Danielle, if that's okay?"

"You haven't met her yet then? She said she met some boys the other day..." Danielle was getting closer to the door, and soon she was standing by her mother's side, half in the doorway, half out. Kevin nodded to her again, as Mrs. Deleasa looked down at her little girl and ran her hand down Danielle's hair.

Kevin gave a friendly smile to Danielle, pushing his glasses up his nose just after, and then looked back at her mom. "Yes, m'am. Those were my brothers." His gaze flicked right back to the little girl who now looked a bit apprehensive. Kevin couldn't figure out why, but it didn't make his smile fade any. "So," he started, before going back to the adult, "Is it okay if she comes outside for a while? Not too long. Just a little bit?" Her mother nodded, and tapped Danielle on the shoulder, giving her the okay. Danielle stepped right outside, and turned to look at her mom, who gave her a slight shrug before going further into the house and closing the door.

Finally feeling a little uncomfortable about the girls' reactions, Kevin looked at the ground before saying, "Sorry. I mean, you don't have to if you don't want to. That's cool..." Though he felt incredibly let down. Like, how could she dislike him already? But it sure seemed that way...

When Kevin looked back up, drawn by her voice, she was sitting on the stoup, hands by her side on the cold concrete. "No. That's okay." She didn't say anything else, leaving an awkward silence, so Kevin turned and sat beside her, folding his arms over his bent knees. He was quiet for her, trying to let her speak, say something, anything, for Pete's sake, be Super Woman. Danielle just sat there, looking across the lawn.

"So..." Kevin started, but apparently that was all it took to urge the girl on.

"So those were your brothers, yesterday?" She asked, not even looking in his direction. He tried to follow her gaze and found himself looking at his own small house. The grass was dying, and there was mud splashed up on the white paneling. Kevin licked his bottom lip before turning back to look at her, even though she still refused to make eye contact.

Sighing softly, he said, "Yeah. Joe and Nick. I hope they didn't bother you. They're pretty cool most of the time so -" he paused at the small fit of laughter she seemed to be having, her body shaking a little. She brought her arms up and wrapped herself in them. "What?" he asked, a little offended. Since when was it okay to laugh at people who you barely knew? Kevin got bullied sometimes at school, but it was usually from kids who were bigger than him, who didn't like his glasses, or didn't like that he read versus playing basketball sometimes. He'd never been out-right laughed at by a girl whom he'd been nothing but nice to.

"Oh..." she started, finally looking him square in the eye, a pretty smile on her face, "It's nothing. Just - they said they were -" She hunched her shoulders together momentarily as if that was supposed to tell him what she was talking about. Kevin just kept looking at her, confused, until she started speaking again. "They said they were boyfriends. I - I believed them. I mean, this is New Jersey. People might be different here. My mom said that..." she let her voice trail off, starting to feel uncomfortable under Kevin's expression. She looked to her shoes, and then shivered a little.

After a few seconds of thinking, Kevin rubbed at his knees. "Yeah, they do that - Well, they don't, but -" He forgot what he was trying to explain and how. Kevin thought about it more and more, though, and suddenly he laughed, finding it very funny. Danielle looked up at him, perplexed, and then started laughing too. "It's just that they - They're um... Gosh. Little kids, and stuff." Yeah, that was a good explanation, Kev. He rolled his eyes at himself. Well, so what if Joe was already eight and that was only two years younger than him. Once you hit age ten, any number small than that, you could totally call a little kid. Kevin, technically speaking, was now a big kid. So different.

"Right," she nodded, her hair falling over her shoulders. "Well, they're cute - kids, I mean," though, she didn't think she would have minded if they had been boyfriends, or something. They were that kind of cute too. But then her brows furrowed because, well, she wasn't sure if she should think that or not. But mom had said to keep an open mind... So... "They're really into cartoons," she remarked offhandedly.

"Mhmm," Kevin said, a different kind of smile now showing through. _This_ is what he had come for. "And _Power Rangers_. That's what they're doing right now." He stopped talking for a second, as he watched Danielle shiver again. He started taking his jacket off, and then pretty much threw it at her, but she had good reflexes, that one, and caught it. She didn't exactly put it on, but she did cover most of her body with it, and stopped chattering her teeth, which was good, he supposed. "Joe said you like reading." She nodded. "Me too. I'm reading _Charlie and the Chocolate Factory_ right now."

Apparently, that was a great in. Danielle had just read that last summer, and they both really liked the movie, so they talked about it for the entire time until Joe's head popped not-so-stealthily out from behind the door, alerting Kevin to the fact the show was over, and mom would probably notice more if he wasn't doing his chores. "Ah... man..." he sighed after seeing Joe close the door again. Danielle looked at him in question, and he rubbed his hand across the stoup as he stood. "Chore time." It was all the explanation he needed to give, because Danielle was standing up too, throwing the jacket back at him, and he just barely caught it.

"See you, Kevin," she said coolly, but the smile on her face was like a heater. Kevin nodded before walking back to the house.


End file.
